Heavy rain kept White County officials busy

CLEVELAND - Heavy rain Tuesday and Tuesday night kept White County officials busy checking potential flooding areas.

Rainfall from 3.5 to 5.88 inches caused some minor low area flooding and concerns about earthen dams around the county.

White County Emergency Management Agency Director William Wright said a home on Misty Mountain Trail was damaged when rushing water from the mountain caused the basement to cave in and fill with water.

Wright said the safety of the structure was compromised and the family was advised to evacuated until the house could be inspected.

According to Wright, fire department officials checked ten "Category One" dams in the county - those are dams that could pose life threatening situation if they burst. They all checked out fine.

Wright said if the rain had not eased during the night there was a good possibility that a lake along the Helen highway could have spilled over into the highway.

Some area rainfall amounts reported to the National Weather Service include 5. 88 inches at Sautee, 4.84 in Cleveland, 4.83 in Alto, 4.19 in Gainesville and 3.29 inches in Ellijay.